_September 4._--Off at daylight; we should have made a good morning drive, but our carriage stuck in a mud hole, and we had to lighten it by stripping and wading in; even then we hauled it out with difficulty. It had been raining on the Gila during the past few weeks, and the road in many places is gullied, while mud holes are common, and I noticed considerable standing water. We reached Colorado city, opposite Fort Yuma, at 11 o’clock p. m., here we changed a few of our mules, took the mail for San Diego from the quartermaster, and repaired our coach with additions of leather and raw hide. These operations consumed the balance of the night, and it was daylight when we hitched up for a start. Made 49 miles to-day. _September 5._--Crossed the Colorado about sunrise over an excellent ferry, then drove to Cook’s Wells to breakfast, 20 miles. We remained encamped at Cook’s Wells to rest ourselves and animals till nearly sunset, and then started to cross what is considered the worst portion of the Colorado desert, namely, a distance of twenty-two miles through heavy sand from Cook’s Wells to Alamo Mucho. This journey consumed the night. We reached the Alamo Mucho wells at daylight. Made 42 miles to-day. _September 6._--To-day we pushed all day long to get over the desert, and reached Indian Wells about sunset, twenty-two miles from Alamo Mucho; our road was much better than that of last night. Here we expected to find water for ourselves and stock, but an encampment of Yuma Indians had used it nearly all up, and we could only procure enough for our own dinner; none was to be had for the mules, so we tried to console them with a feed of corn. The want of water left us no resource but to push on for Carissa creek, thirty-two miles more. We travelled all night and reached Carissa creek about sunrise in the morning. This portion of the road is by no means a bad one. Made 52 miles to-day.